After the events at Siji Zhai that evening, Lou Shuwan did not actively seek out Ning Yi again. The words her elder brother, Lou Shuwang, had said about Ning Yi's background made her feel as if she were in a dream. Originally, he was just an outstanding man she knew, and she even felt that others did not recognize his worth as only she did. Suddenly, she realized that she had greatly underestimated him. The realm that the man named Ning Yi moved in was simply beyond her reach. This feeling was a first for her.

To be able to stand against Shi Bao and others in Taiping Lane without losing ground, and to turn the tide with a few thousand defeated soldiers while on the run, Lou Shuwan found it difficult to gauge what level such a person would be at on the grand stage. Of course, rationally speaking, if she could remain calm and objective, she would actually agree with her brother's assessment: human strength has its limits, and even a hero is pushed along by the times. The reasons behind the rumors about Ning Yi were hard to say, and it was difficult to ascertain how much of it was true. In any case, when he was unable to leverage any advantages, the situation at Siji Zhai was indeed a difficult dead end.

*Perhaps what seems unsolvable to me or my elder brother, might be an easy matter for him to turn around with a flick of the wrist*--such a thought, even if it were to arise, was suppressed in the corner of Lou Shuwan's heart, for she still maintained a semblance of calm.

That night, the city was filled with events large and small. Even after returning home, Lou Shuwan, unable to sleep, could hear occasional news carried by the maids and servants. The Lou family, having only recently submitted to the regime, was naturally among the most sensitive to the various upheavals occurring in the city. But news about Siji Zhai was naturally not among them. It was not until the next morning, amidst the pervasive white mist, that some information could be gleaned from the whispers of Wei Lingxue and others.

After she had been taken away by her brother, Ning Yi and his companion had faced Li Tianyou's aggressive demands without backing down. In the end, the scholar named Ning Yi had killed his opponent on the spot in a one-on-one duel. When she learned of this from Wei Lingxue, Qin Gu Lai, and others who were deliberately trying to mend their relationship with her, she was truly overwhelmed with confusion.

*Just what kind of person is this Son-in-Law of Su Tan'er...*

The figure she thought she had already seen clearly had, by this point, finally become blurred. In fact, Wei Lingxue and Qin Gu Lai had not actively sought out news about Ning Yi; the information had actually come from people under her elder brother, indicating that her elder brother was also paying attention to the development of the situation. She went to her elder brother's courtyard. The mist was thick, but Lou Shuwang was already up and working. Several stewards listened to his instructions in the study and then left. Two maids from her sister-in-law's side walked past under the eaves, carrying wooden basins filled with hot water. Lou Shuwang was dealing with matters reported by his attendants. He had probably just washed his face. He looked up at her.

"...Since they have connections with the Qi family, we have no choice but to dismiss them and settle their accounts clearly... Follow the rules, and have the accounting department disburse twenty taels..." While speaking, Lou Shuwang wrote a note. After a servant took the note and left, he left his desk, gently kneading the palm of his left hand with his right hand, and said, "You're up? Li Tianrun will return this morning. The situation will be tense for a while. Be mentally prepared. Adding to this, the matters regarding the Qi family, avoid associating with those you shouldn't."

Lou Shuwan looked at him. Although she was also somewhat alarmed by the news of Li Tianrun's imminent return to the city, she merely said, "I didn't sleep last night."

Lou Shuwang wasn't surprised. He nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose: "Hmm, I didn't sleep either. Father is probably busy all night, your second brother hasn't returned all night... He was kept overnight by Xing Fangzhong, but it's nothing major."

This was perhaps just casual conversation, but Lou Shuwan hadn't really thought about what to say when she came over. She sat down on a chair beside him and looked at her elder brother in silence for a moment: "He's still alive."

"I know, I've already heard," Lou Shuwang's tone wasn't strange. For him, this wasn't a big deal. The Lou family now had close ties with Fang La's court, maintaining the operation of Hangzhou, and could be considered deeply rooted. He dealt with countless matters, large and small, every day. Ning Liheng's affair was nothing more than some sibling rivalry involving a seemingly outstanding man. He was looking at the matter from the perspective of a superior. Even if he had misjudged some details, there was no need to make a fuss.

"Forced by the situation, Li Tianyou had to agree to a one-on-one fight with him, and in the end, a master fighter from Li Tianyou's side fought... To be able to fight his way out in that situation, Ning Yi is not simple. I've also heard that someone from the Badao Camp stepped in. But... after your second brother returns, he should know his whereabouts."

"...You also said he's not simple, elder brother. Do you still have to make second brother go up against him?"

"I won't interfere. This is your second brother's business. There are many people who are not simple. Now in Hangzhou, if you take a walk on the street with a knife, you can find eight out of ten who are not simple. Even the two by your side are capable of taking on multiple opponents... It depends on where you put them... I already told you last night, Shuwan, let it go. There's no benefit in thinking about it further. Next, it won't just be your second brother. Once Li Tianrun returns, neither of them can afford to provoke him..."

What her elder brother said was reasonable. Lou Shuwan found it difficult to categorize her emotions towards Ning Yi for a time, sometimes feeling close and sometimes feeling distant. Even the idea that the two of them might be together, which she had felt not long ago, had changed. It flew through her heart, sometimes full and sometimes empty. But in the short term, she ultimately couldn't take the initiative to look for him. After Li Tianrun returned to the city, the situation in Hangzhou once again became tense and grim. A large-scale purge and search began for those who favored the imperial court's policy of appeasement, as well as for spies arranged by the imperial court within the rebel army. Tong Guan's southward pressure was not far to the north. This was in preparation for the upcoming defense of the city.

Although this matter would not easily affect the Lou family, as a woman, Lou Shuwan would no longer go out in the days that followed, but only deal with some of the things at hand at home. In fact, as the shadow of war and the pressure of arrests from the outside world loomed, the circulation of various goods on the market became even more rigid. Everything was maintained in a routine manner, and there was not much room for operation. And the matters of showing one's face were more and more on the shoulders of the men in the family. She began to become more and more idle, and it was in such days that, occasionally watching the fallen leaves in the yard, she wondered what kind of life Ning Yi was living now.

Ning Yi was actually quite idle.

After the matter of Siji Zhai ended, there were not many follow-up issues for the time being. He was injured, and while he was recovering, the classes at Wen Lie Academy were also suspended, so he was able to relax for a few days. He had already prepared himself mentally for Li Tianrun's return to the city, so it didn't have too much impact on the Badao Camp. The only thing affected was perhaps the soaring prices under the grim atmosphere that filled the city.

At this time, the autumn grain had already been harvested, and even though it had been affected by the war this year, it was the time of year when grain was most abundant. However, this grain had already been divided up by various forces, and at this moment, with the shadow of war about to descend, even less of it would be released to the outside world. At least within the Badao Camp, there would still be various grain reserves to subsidize, so it wouldn't have too much impact on everyone's lives in the short term. But outside these circles, life became even more difficult.

Ning Yi's feat of killing Tang Kou at Siji Zhai briefly became a topic of conversation within the small area of Xiliu Street, but even more talked about was the story of Liu Dabiao fighting the crowd of heroes single-handedly on that day. Those who didn't understand the inside story could only hear that Badao Liu Dabiao had defeated Soul-Reaping Spear Qi Yuankang, and then, according to Jianghu rules, had single-handedly fought against the Qi family's three brothers who had come to seek revenge and had won a great victory. It was said that this Liu Dabiao was a heroic man with a majestic chest hair, eight feet tall and eight feet around...

And for those who really knew the inside story, the fact that Liu Xigua had done these things as a woman was undoubtedly amazing. The rebellion of Qi Yuankang could have been waited until Li Tianrun returned to the city to do it, but the always low-key Badao Camp, along with the other parties, launched it in advance, mainly to show off its strength before Li Tianrun returned. However, this action had another unexpected consequence, which quietly emerged in the days that followed.

That Liu Xigua, she should be married soon...

No one explicitly said this sentence, but rumors about "Lou Jingzhi will propose to Liu Xigua" and "Lou Jingzhi and Liu Xigua have a private affair" began to circulate among the high-ranking officials of the Fang La army. Although it was only passed by word of mouth at a very high level, soon after, there were clearly more young talents sent to the Badao Camp to contact and handle affairs. These people were mostly the sons and nephews of high-ranking officials in the court. They were skeptical about the ambiguous relationship between Liu Xigua and Lou Jingzhi, but it seemed to be everyone's consensus that Liu Xigua should indeed be married, so they all wanted to try their luck. For a time, amidst the grim atmosphere of continuous arrests from the outside world, the Badao Camp fell into an ambiguous atmosphere of blind dates.

Liu Xigua was recuperating in the inner courtyard and didn't see anyone. Under the cover of the chief manager, Liu Tiannan, she didn't know that the outside world had become so disgusting. If she knew, she would have to chop up Lou Jingzhi despite her internal injuries. In fact, Lou Jingzhi was relatively innocent in this matter. As a proud person, he couldn't tell outsiders about his relationship with Liu Xigua. Even if his father asked, he would at most say, "You don't care." This time, Lou Minzhong presumptuously thought there was a chance, and was probably already considering proposing marriage.

Perhaps the girl's heart was already preparing for a revolution, perhaps she had already made up her mind, but there was still no action at the moment. After all, the matter was too big and needed more consideration and more weighing to make sure that this moment's passion would not be without any value.

Ning Yi went to see her twice, but neither of them mentioned this matter. His injury wasn't serious and he recovered much faster than Liu Xigua. After two or three days, it didn't affect his body at all. At this time, the large-scale search that began after Li Tianrun returned to the city was already making a lot of noise, and Ning Yi was already preparing, waiting for the Li family's large-scale retaliation to arrive. But before that, some other things unexpectedly broke out.

On this day, before dawn, a rapid knocking on the door rang out outside the courtyard. Ning Yi got up and opened the door. Standing outside the door was a student from the academy. This young man was named Zhuo Xiaofeng. He was not a student directly taught by Ning Yi. He belonged to a member of the original camp that was hostile to Ning Yi. The boy's father was a staff member in Fang La's army. He was fourteen years old this year and was intelligent. Among the children, he was also regarded as a wise man.

The other party originally had an attitude of confrontation and antagonism every time he saw Ning Yi, but at this time, he appeared outside the door, panting and looking anxious. Ning Yi's first reaction was that the Zhuo family was affected by the cleaning, and their home was raided. He looked outside the door and saw that there were no pursuers, and quickly pulled the person in, but after a series of questions, he learned that in the few days that he had not gone to the academy to attend class, the two gangs of children were still fighting openly and secretly inside and outside the academy. Competing to be good people and catching bad guys was certainly a good thing, but this time, they finally encountered someone they couldn't afford to provoke... (To be continued.) Vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

Support Wanben Shenzhan and share this site with those who need it! Please leave a message if you can't find the book!